The invention relates to a self-fastened bracket for mounting a wire harness to a support structure of a vehicle, to a method of mounting such a wire harness using said self-fastened bracket, to the use of fixation means such as the self-fastened bracket, and to a vehicle comprising such a self-fastened bracket.
The invention is directed to the automotive vehicle, and in particular to medium duty or heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses and construction equipment. Although the invention will be described with respect to a truck, the invention is not restricted to this particular vehicle, but may also be used in other vehicles, such as cars. The present invention is directed to any type of vehicle, including hybrid vehicles, electrical vehicles, and vehicle motorized with a consumption engine.
More particularly, the invention finds its application in vehicle electrical wiring systems. Known vehicle electrical wiring systems are typically configured to provide electrical power and/or control signals to various electrical components throughout the vehicle. For example, a wire harness may deliver electrical power and/or control signals for driving motors, heaters and lights, internal and external communication means. To limit movements of wire harnesses during vehicle operation, cable ties and brackets are employed to secure the wire harnesses on support structures of the vehicle, such as the chassis.
Typically, CA-A-2 814 456 discloses a bracket comprising a tie portion that is configured to allow a tie to wrap around a wire harness in order to secure it to the bracket and a mounting portion that is configured to secure the bracket to the support structure of the vehicle. In the example, the tie portion of the bracket is exclusively dedicated to the tightening of the wire harness thanks to a strap. This tie portion is totally independent from the mounting portion. The mounting portion is secured to the support structure by another fixation means, like a screw. In the above-mentioned document, a screw is inserted into an opening of the mounting portion and engaged in a threaded opening of the support structure.
When using this kind of bracket, two distinct operations are required to secure a wire harness to the support structure of the vehicle. A first operation comprises clamping the tie portion to keep the wires of the wire harness together and a second operation comprises driving the screw in rotation to fix the mounting portion on the support structure. Moreover, this may require tapping the mounting portion and/or the support structure beforehand.
Considering the number of cable to fix in a vehicle, mounting all of them to support structures of the vehicle is very time-consuming.
It is desirable to provide a supporting component, or a fixation means, which allows mounting a satire harness to the support structure of a vehicle in a fast process. Preferably, the mounting is performed in one step.
To this end, an aspect of the invention concerns a self-fastening bracket for mounting a wire harness on a support structure of a vehicle, said self-fastening bracket comprising:                a rigid portion adapted for clamping the wire harness, and        a more flexible portion, or flexible arm, adapted for clamping said self-fastened bracket on the support structure. The flexible arm is linked to the rigid portion at one end, in such a way that its second end moves towards the rigid portion when tightening the wire harness so as to squeeze the support structure between the flexible arm and the rigid portion.        
The self-fastened bracket of the present invention is adapted to receive a cable tie that secures the wire harness on the rigid portion, while allowing to clamp the flexible arm on the support structure when tightening the wire harness. Indeed, when tightening the wire harness, the flexible arm moves towards the rigid portion and catches the support structure in a vise-like grip between the flexible arm and the rigid portion.
According to further aspects of the invention, the fixation means may incorporate one or several of the following features:                The flexible portion, or flexible arm, is a flexible tab and moves by elastic deformation.        The flexible arm includes a passage opening adapted for the passage of a tie.        The rigid portion has a L-shape.        The flexible arm is linked at one end to the rigid portion at a first branch of the L-shaped rigid portion, and its second end is adapted to move towards the second branch of the L-shaped rigid portion when tightening the cable tie.        The first branch of the L-shaped rigid portion is provided with at least one passage opening adapted to the passage of a tie. Said passage opening is provided below the attach point of the flexible arm on said first branch of the L-shaped rigid portion.        The flexible arm is linked to the first branch of the L-shaped rigid portion through a deformable element that allows the articulation of the flexible arm with respect to the rigid portion.        The deformable element that links the flexible portion to the rigid portion is a thin tab, the thickness of which is decreased with regard to the thickness of the flexible portion.        the deformable element is integral with the flexible arm and the rigid portion.        The flexible arm is curved.        The cable tie that secures the wire harness may be a plastic strap.        The flexible arm is integral with the rigid portion.        
The invention also concerns a vehicle, equipped with the self-fastened brackets herein described.
It is also desirable to provide a means for mounting the wire harnesses that avoids corrosion. Threaded openings on the metallic support of a vehicle may provide some areas that are more sensitive to the corrosion. Also, the use of screw or any kind of metallic brackets to clamp on the support of a vehicle may damage the paint, and hence, induce or favorise the corrosion. The self-fastened bracket of the present invention allows the mounting of the cable avoiding the risk of corrosion.
It is also desirable to provide a means of mounting cables that is light and cheap. Due to the increasing number of cables and tubes in a modern vehicle, numerous fixations means are necessary. When they are metallic, these fixations means represent a weight which may be detrimental to the fuel consumption. The self-fastened bracket presently disclosed has the advantage to be light and therefore allows saving some weight.
Although the self-fastened bracket of the present invention may be used for electrical cables, it is also usable for the mounting of any type of tubes or pipes, or related equipment, that may be rigid or flexible. It is therefore also desirable to limit the diversity of the fixation means used in a vehicle, using a polyvalent fixation means like the present self-fastened bracket.
The present invention, according to an aspect thereof, also provides an efficient method for rapidly mounting wire harnesses, tubes, or pipes, or related equipment on a vehicle. In particular, the method allows such a mounting wherein the wire harnesses, tubes or pipes are directly clamped on the support of the vehicle, without additional step of screwing or fixing our the support. In a specific embodiment, the method of the present invention allows securing the wires, wire harnesses, tubes, pipes or related equipment on the fixation means and fixing the fixation means on the support of the vehicle in one step. Accordingly, the step that allows securing the wires, wire harnesses, tubes, pipes and related equipment on the fixation means while fixing the fixation means on the support is the tightening of the wire with a tie. More particularly, the method of the present invention comprises the steps of:
a) positioning the fixation means on a support,
b) Positioning the wires, wire harnesses, tubes, pipes or related equipment onto the fixation means used in step a),
c) Tightening a tie around the wires, wire harnesses, pipes, tubes or related equipment, wherein the tie passes through dedicated passages provided on the fixation means.
Steps a) and b) above-described may be reversed, meaning that step b) can occur before step a).